Doug Melvin Insists He's Not Too Old School For Mets

When Doug Melvin stepped down as the Brewers' general manager three years ago, he publicly said, "The job had just grown to a point that it's more suited for somebody who's younger than me." But on Tuesday, the 66-year-old baseball lifer attempted to make his case that he's the best choice to lead the Mets' front office, even as he vies with candidates decades younger than him.

Melvin spent 13 years as the Brewers' GM, leading the team to the National League Championship Series in 2011. He has remained with Milwaukee as a special adviser.

Prior to joining the Brewers, Melvin served as GM for the Texas Rangers from 1994-2001. During that span, the Rangers made the postseason three times, which represented the franchise's first three trips to the playoffs in its history.

"I'm energized. ... There's been a lot of general managers who stepped aside in the past to take a breather," Melvin said Tuesday.

As for an emphasis on analytics -- baseball's biggest buzzword these days -- Melvin, known mostly for his scouting and player-development, said successful teams need to lean on the numbers but can't ignore old-fashioned scouting.

"The teams that are going to be successful in the future are going to be the ones that blend those two components together," he said. "I don't believe you can go 100 percent analytics, and I don't believe you can go 100 percent scouting and development without analytics.

"I've always been very open-minded to it. ... I'm open to ideas. I'm always open to anyting new, creative."